Tongariro National Park – all you need to know!
Welcome to this post about Tongariro National Park. Over the course of the past years, I’ve been asked quite some times by New Zealand bound travelers what my favorite national park in New Zealand is. It’s a difficult choice as all of them have something special, however one of the most amazing national parks in New Zealand that you can visit is Tongariro National Park. I’ve been there three times (and have been to New Zealand six times) and it never fails to impress me. In this post I’ll share all you want to know about Tongariro National Park in New Zealand.
Note that this post was first published in 2014 and updated in 2025 after my most recent visit to New Zealand.
Table of Contents | Inhoudsopgave
Tongariro National Park facts
Established in 1887, Tongariro National Park was New Zealand’s first National Park. It’s also one of the world’s 28 mixed cultural and natural Unesco Heritage Sites because of its outstanding natural features and cultural association with the Maori. You will definitely understand this when you are visiting.
Tongariro National Park (Tongariro means something as “being born in the bitter south wind”) is located in the center of the North Island. When you come driving from the north, which will be the case for most travelers, you have already passed plenty of green Hobbit-like hills. Then all of a sudden, Tongariro National Park will access your horizon far in the distance. The dark, snowcapped volcanoes will give you a great first impression of its grandeur that awaits you upon arrival.
Tongariro National Park was actually used as inspiration for the Lord of the Rings movies, where Mount Ngauruhoe featured as Mount Doom and several scenes were shot in the Rangipo Desert, which is part of the park. Three volcanoes dominate the park: Mount Ruapehu, Mount Ngauruhoe and Mount Tongariro, which are pictured from right to left on the picture below. Especially from up close, they look dangerous and they are! In 2012 Mount Tongariro erupted and caused the area to close for a while.
Hiking the Tongariro Alpine Crossing
The first time I was in New Zealand, back in 2002, I didn’t visit Tongariro National Park. I wasn’t much into hiking yet, otherwise I would never have skipped this as it’s a true hikers paradise. New Zealand’s most famous day hike is the Tongariro Alpine Crossing and although you will not be the only one on this famous tramp, it’s very much worth it. Trust me!
The hike is between 7-8 hours and will leave you with almost 800 meters in altitude gain. The natural features are amongst the best I have seen and the variety is amazing. Just imagine rocks in all kinds of red and orange colors, alpine lakes that are emerald, blue and green and of course the volcanoes that will give you a feeling of being in a dead land. Tongariro National Park definitely did not leave me disappointed.
Once you’ve decided to do this hike, make sure you realize that it’s an alpine hike, meaning you will need to have at least some hiking experience. What’s really important to remember, is that the crossing is subject to weather. Many days each year Department of Conservation will advice not to set off because of the poor weather conditions. Those weather conditions may not always look bad from far away, but as I experienced, even on a sunny day the winds can be killing. So therefore, always check with DOC before setting off, their office is at the Whakapapa Visitor Center, the park’s main place for resources.
I unfortunately have to say that during my last visit, I didn’t find the employees here to be very helpful, maybe it was an off day or they just got tired of being asked the same question twice. I heard the same from fellow hikers on the Tongariro Northern Circuit that week who were simply disappointed by their behavior.
Other hikes in Tongariro National Park
If you are not planning on doing the Tongariro Alpine Crossing or the Northern Circuit, there are plenty of other short walks around the park that will give you a great feeling of its unique natural features. You can see waterfalls, explosion craters and of course the volcanoes. You can find an online brochure of all walks on the Department of Conservation website.
If you have a few hours or less, make sure to do the Taranaki Falls hike. This will take you about 2 hours and to the base of the beautiful Taranaki Falls. Other hikes that you can do are Lake Rotokura Walk (30 min return), the Rotopounamu Track (2 hour) and theSoda Springs Walk (2 hours). Other short walks that are well worth it are:
- Whakapapa Nature Walk (15 min)
- Mounds Walk (20 min)
- Tawhai Falls Walk (20 min)
- Ridge Walk (30-40 min)
Where to stay in Tongariro National Park
Whakapapa is the main village but I didn’t find it very attracting, especially now that Chateau Tongariro is closed. Instead, I stayed in National Park Village, at the National Park Backpackers and the Alpine Lodge. There were no real facilities here other than a few restaurants and a gas station, but the views from the village are just stunning. When the skies were clear, I had perfect views of all three volcanoes in the distance. When you have finished hiking, make sure you will go and have dinner at The Station. Groceries and gas are best bought in Turangi, about 50 kilometers away from Whakapapa, or in Taumarunui, just before National Park Village.
Booking your trip
If you’ve found this article useful, I hope you make use of the following links to book your trip to New Zealand:
- Planetickets can be booked via Skyscanner.
- Rental car rates and availability can be found here.
- Buy your New Zealand guidebook here.
- Book your accommodations on Booking.
- Find tours and excursions here.
- Book your Spaceship vehicle here.
- Search for group tours here.
- Book your bus tickets here.
- Find prices and book your ferry here.
Conclusion and disclaimer
And when you are finally ready to leave this dark yet inspiring land behind and you are traveling further south, make sure you will drive the Desert Road. It’s an unforgiving and lonely ride that will make you feel like you are actually in Mordor, a place where nothing lives and a lot is dark, just like in the movies.
Want to read more? You may also enjoy the following posts:
Alternatively, make sure to check my New Zealand homepage for more than 50 blogs about active travel in New Zealand.
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19 Comments
Karlijn
Mooie blog en prachtige foto’s! Maar de jaloezie overheerst ;). De Tongariro Crossing is echt een beetje mijn ‘reistrauma’: de eerste keer in Nieuw-Zeeland liep ik ‘m niet, omdat ik alleen was en het niet zag zitten om in mijn eentje te gaan. En de tweede keer liepen we ‘m wel (na dagen wachten op droog weer), maar zeilden de wolken na honderd meter de bergen in. We hebben in de regen, snoeiharde wind en dichte mist 20 kilometer gelopen. Gevaarlijk en we hebben niets gezien. We zagen pas een turquoise meertje toen we er met onze neus op stonden, en alleen omdat de mist een halve minuut opentrok. Grrr! Ik moet nog eens een reisje bedenken waar de Crossing in te passen valt. Revenge!
Groet, Karlijn
anto
Ohhh ja ik voel met je mee, wij hebben ook dat soort trauma’s (soort van, dan). Het is altijd jammer als zoiets moois zich niet aan je laat zien maar ik ben er inmiddels wel uit dat je niet alles kunt hebben. Zo heeft het mij 3 reizen naar Alaska gekost om Mt. McKinley (hoogste berg van Noord-Amerika) te kunnen zien. Maar dat maakt het reizen door bergachtige landen ook wel weer leuk, fris weer is beter voor een fikse wandeling dan bedwelmende hitte. Hopelijk ga je nog eens naar NZ en lukt het je de Crossing te lopen!!
Serena
Amazing!!
I’m actually daydreaming about NZ these days, and with this post you’ve made me daydream even more 🙂
…Really, people was doing this hike with flip-flops??
LOL, maybe they thought that if Hobbits could have made it barefoot, flip-flops could have been okay 😀
anto
Well it’s certain nationalities that think they can do anyting without gear… but then again, if Hobbits can do it … LOL. I actually day dream about NZ all the time … happy dreaming! LOL 😀
Hannah
Looks like a great adventure! Can’t believe people would wear flipflops though!
Wandering Educators
What an incredibly gorgeous place – I’ve always wanted to visit NZ!
Ashley @ A Southern Gypsy
Absolutely gorgeous photos! Can’t wait to get to NZ!
SJ @ Chasing the Donkey
I am an Aussie, and I am sad to say I never made to it NZ before I moved to Croatia – I must see how I can work that in 🙂 STUNNING photos.
Jessica | A Passion and A Passport
HOLY MOLY amazing! WOZA! I want to go there NOW! right now!
IntrovertlyBubbly
Those pictures are plan gorgeous. The little fact on Lord of the Rings I did not know and that meal looks deliciously divine…
Lindsay
So beautiful! Firstly, wow that y’all were able to get to 10 of New Zealand’s 14 national parks! Amazing! Second, I really wanted to go to Tongariro when we were in New Zealand. I had heard rumors that it was the best day hike in the world! Unfortunately, short on time, we stuck with the South Island mostly (with the exception of time in Auckland), with the promise to ourselves that we would come back! Now, I’m wishing we had spent some more time here! We really liked the south island though. Aoraki/Mt. Cook, Arthur’s Pass, Fiordland (esp Milford) national parks. So beautiful. I want to live in NZ. Maybe one day!
Cathy
Beautiful photos, makes me want to go even more!
anto
Thanks Cathy!
Shere
We did an alternative and longer hike than the usual one as the last part of it was closed due to volcanic activity. They told us it would be 22km but my gps watch said it was over 26km!! All in all it was a great experience
anto
Ah yes … don’t walks always turn out to be longer than they appear … happy to hear you had a good time though!
Nate Yarbrough
Awesome! The diversity of the Alpine environments and the beaches is why I want to go to NZ! Soon!
anto
Go! You’ll totally love it 🙂
Sanne
Wauw! Wat een leuk blog heb je en hele fijne posts over Nieuw Zeeland en Patagonië! Twee plekken die bovenaan ons lijstje staan. Jammer dat ik je niet heb kunnen zien in Val di Fassa om je uit te vragen 😉 Zodra ik ga plannen kom ik zeker weer even op je blog terug!
anto
Thanks! Ja ik vond het echt zo jammer dat ik niet mee kon! Hopelijk hebben jullie het leuk gehad. Ik ga je blog snel checken en als je vragen hebt over Nieuw-Zeeland en/of Patagonië, dan weet je mij te vinden!